Warner Bros. Halts Trump’s Video for Unauthorized Use of The Dark Knight Rises Score

Yesterday, Donald Trump tweeted a campaign video for the 2020 election that used parts of the score from The Dark Knight Rises. In response, Warner Bros. quickly filed a copyright infringement complaint and the tweet was taken down. “The use of Warner Bros.’ score from The Dark Knight Rises in the campaign video was unauthorized,” a spokesperson said. “We are working through the appropriate legal channels to have it removed.”

The video (which is no longer available) reportedly featured clips of Trump meeting with dictators Kim Jong Un and Jair Bolsonaro. It also showed shots of Trump intercut with video of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and (bizarrely) Rosie O’Donnell, Bryan Cranston, and Amy Schumer. While the images play, text appears onscreen reading, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they call you racist,” and culminates with Trump waving his fist in the air.

All of which plays over Hans Zimmer’s “Why Do We Fall” track, which he composed for the 2012 film. Zimmer’s music is beautiful, stirring, and absolutely unfit for a cowardly clown shoe like Donald Trump. Let’s take a listen:

The only resemblance Trump bears to Batman is that scene in Batman Begins where Bruce Wayne gets drunk and goes swimming in a hotel fountain with some women after buying said hotel. That’s a Trump move all the way. But otherwise, get Batman’s name out of your mouth, Donald.

This video leaves me with so many questions. Why is Bryan Cranston there? What did Hans Zimmer do to deserve this? And what is the thinking behind promoting the idea that everyone thinks you’re racist? When I’m looking at candidates, one thing that really turns me off is the vast majority of the population thinking that candidate is racist. This is not an alt-right dog whistle, it’s a straight up shout out.

This is not the first time that Trump has used songs and images from popular culture without permission. Last year he tweeted a Game of Thrones-themed image that read “Sanctions Are Coming”. HBO responded with “We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes.” They also tweeted the following:

The Trump campaign has also been rejected by several musicians for using their songs on the campaign, including Adele, Aerosmith, Elton John, Neil Young, R.E.M., The Rolling Stones, and Twisted Sister.

Since we will no doubt be inundated with plenty of Trump campaign videos, I have some suggestions for songs to sample:

– “American Idiot” by Green Day

– “We Hate You Please Die” by Crash and the Boys from the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack

– “Career of Evil” by Blue Oyster Cult

– “Mean” by Taylor Swift

– “Mean People Suck” by NOFX

– “Mad World” by y Gary Jules and Michael Andrews

And of course, this indelible classic:

(via BuzzFeed News, image: Warner Bros.)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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